Safety socks

ABSTRACT

A foot protection barrier for protecting at least a portion of a person&#39;s foot is provided. The foot protection barrier includes a sheet of material having an upper surface and a lower surface. The sheet of material is substantially non-deformable such that the sheet of material is non-conforming to the person&#39;s foot upon the foot being placed on the upper surface when the sheet of material is positioned on a rigid, planar surface. An effective amount of an adhesive is disposed on at least a portion of the upper surface such that the upper surface adheres to the person&#39;s foot when the person&#39;s foot is positioned thereon. An effective amount of a non-skid material is disposed on at least a portion of the lower surface for providing a non-skid surface to the lower surface for preventing the person from slipping as the person moves across a support surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a foot protection barrier and methods of use thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disposable foot protection barrier having adhesive and non-skid properties associated therewith and methods of use thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a foot protection barrier constructed in accordance with the present invention, one corner of the foot protection barrier being upwardly turned to illustrate a lower surface thereof.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the foot protection barrier of FIG. 1 attached to a foot of a user.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the foot protection barrier of FIG. 1 attached to a foot of a user.

FIG. 4 is top plan view of the foot protection barrier of FIG. 1 having a detachable layer of material disposed over the adhesive provided on the upper surface of the foot protection barrier.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a pair of foot protection barriers having perforations therebetween for separating the foot protection barriers.

FIG. 6 is a pictorial representation of a pad of foot protection barriers having perforations for detaching individual foot protection barriers from the pad of foot protection barriers.

FIG. 7 is a pictorial representation of a roll of foot protection barriers having perforations for detaching an individual protection barrier from the roll of foot protection barriers.

FIG. 8 is a pictorial representation of a kit containing a plurality of foot protection barriers constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a pictorial representation of a kit containing a roll of foot protection barriers constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a pictorial representation of a kit having two compartments, each compartment containing a plurality of foot protection barriers constructed in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, shown therein is a foot protection barrier 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention. The foot protection barrier 10 has adhesive and non-skid properties associated therewith so that the foot protection barrier 10 can be adhered to a portion of a user's foot while preventing a user from slipping and/or sliding while utilizing the foot protection barrier 10. The term “foot” as used herein should be understood to include a barefoot, a foot having a stocking thereon including, for example, a sock or pantyhose, or a foot having a shoe thereon.

The foot protection barrier 10 includes a sheet of material 12 having an upper surface 14 and a lower surface 16. The upper surface 14 of the sheet of material 12 having an adhesive 15 disposed on at least a portion thereof and the lower surface 16 of the sheet of material 12 having a non-skid material 20 disposed thereon.

The sheet of material 12 may be constructed of any material having a thickness of about 1 mm or less and which is capable of having the adhesive 15 disposed on the upper surface 14 of the foot protection barrier 10 and the non-skid material 20 disposed on the lower surface 16 thereof. Examples of materials which can be employed as the sheet of material 12 include, for example, bond paper (i.e., 105 bond), tissue paper or paper-like material. The sheet of material 12 may also be fabricated of any fibrous material, natural material, synthetic material, hypo-allergenic material, laminates, and combinations thereof.

The foot protection barrier 10 is substantially non-deformable along the thickness such that the sheet of material 12 is non-conforming to a user's foot upon the foot being placed on the upper surface 14 of the sheet of material 12 when the lower surface of the sheet of material 12 is positioned on a rigid, planar surface 18 in a face to face relation (FIG. 2). Examples of such surfaces include a concrete floor, a tile floor, a laminate floor, and the like.

At least a portion of the upper surface 14 of the sheet of material 12 is provided with the adhesive 15 so that the foot protection barrier 10 formed of the sheet of material 12 can temporarily adhere to at least a portion of a user's foot. That is, the adhesive 15 provides the upper surface 14 of the foot protection barrier 10 with sufficient tact so that at least a portion of the upper surface 14 of the sheet of material 12 of the foot protection barrier 10 can temporarily adhere to at least a portion of the bottom of a user's foot (i.e., a ball portion, a heel portion, and a toe portion of a user's foot) when the user's foot is positioned thereon.

It should be understood that the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention does not conform to the bottom of a user's foot. Rather, the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention adheres to various portions of the bottom of a user's foot as described above. The foot protection barrier 10 may be utilized by a barefoot user, a user wearing a stocking, such as a sock or pantyhose, and/or a user wearing a shoe.

The term “adhesive” as used herein means any and all materials capable of providing sufficient tact to at least a portion of the sheet of material 12 to allow the sheet of material 12 to adhere to at least a portion of a user's foot while at the same time allowing the sheet of material 12 to be readily removed therefrom. Such adhesive materials which can be used as the adhesive 15 are well known in the art. Thus, no further comments concerning the types of adhesives are believed to be necessary to allow one having ordinary skill in the art to understand and practice the invention. The adhesive 15 may also be hypo-allergenic so as to prevent allergic reactions that may be caused by certain adhesives and/or additives.

The adhesive 15 may be provided on the upper surface 14 in any manner or configuration so as to allow at least a portion of a user's foot to adhere to at least a portion of the upper surface 14 of the sheet of material 12 of the foot protection barrier 10. For example, the adhesive 15 may be disposed on the entire upper surface 14 of the sheet of material 12 or to selected portions thereof in various manners and/or configurations such as, for example, adhesive strips, spots, lines, or any other manner provided that the foot protection barrier 10 is provided with an effective amount of adhesive 15 for permitting the foot protection barrier 10 to temporarily adhere to at least a portion of the bottom of a user's foot. Further, the adhesive 15 may be applied in a random pattern, repeat pattern, or any other desirable pattern that is capable of allowing at least a portion of a user's foot to adhere to at least a portion of the upper surface 14 of the sheet of material 12 of the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention.

The foot protection barrier 10 may be provided with a detachable layer 19 (FIG. 4) for covering the adhesive 15 until a user desires to adhere the foot protection barrier 10 to the user's foot in which case the user may remove the detachable layer 19 to expose the adhesive 15 prior to application of the foot protection barrier 10 to the user's foot. It should be understood that the detachable layer 19 may be employed in any of the configurations of adhesive described above. Such detachable layers 19 are well known. Examples of detachable layers 19 which can be used to cover the adhesive 15 on the upper surface 14 of the sheet of material 12 include those used in conjunction with BAND-AIDS®, feminine pads, and the like.

As previously stated, the lower portion 16 of the sheet of material 12 of the foot protection barrier 10 is provided with a non-skid material 20 on at least a portion thereof for preventing a user from slipping and/or sliding while wearing the foot protection barrier 10. That is, a user may be mobile while wearing the foot protection barrier 10 and the non-skid material 20 provided on the lower surface 16 of the sheet of material 12 will prevent the user from slipping and/or sliding. Examples of non-skid materials that may be used include any polymeric material such as, for example, rubber and the like.

The non-skid material 20 may be provided on the lower surface 16 of the sheet of material 12 in any manner so as to provide the foot protection barrier 10 with a non-skid surface on at least a portion of the lower surface 16 of the sheet of material 12. For example, the non-skid material 20 may be disposed on the entire lower surface 16 of the foot protection barrier 10 or the non-skid material 20 may be applied in various manners and/or configurations such as, for example, strips, spots, dots, lines, or any other manner such that at least a portion of the lower surface 16 of the sheet of material 12 is provided with a sufficient amount of non-skid material 20 for providing the foot protection barrier 10 with a non-skid surface for preventing a user from slipping and/or sliding while wearing the foot protection barrier 10. The non-skid material 20 may be applied in a random pattern, a repeat pattern, or any other pattern desirable for providing a non-skid surface to the lower surface 16 of the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention.

The sheet of material 12 of the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention is shown in the drawings as being substantially square in configuration; however, it should be understood that the sheet of material 12 is not limited to having a substantially square configuration. Additionally, the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention may be any dimension that is desirable for use. Examples of various shapes and/or configurations which may be employed in the construction of the foot protection barrier 10 include rectangular, round, oval, triangular, hexagonal, octagonal, and/or novelty shapes such as, for example, a heart, a pumpkin, a balloon, a star, or any other desirable novelty shape provided with sufficient dimensions to prevent a user's foot from having direct contact with a non-desirable support surface. Further, the foot protection barrier 10 is not foot-specific. That is, the foot protection barrier 10 is shaped such that the foot protection barrier 10 may be used interchangeably for protecting the bottom of either a left foot or a right foot of a user.

The foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention may also include various printing thereon. For example, the foot protection barrier 10 may include various configurations printed thereon such as, for example, hearts, stars, balloons, or any other configuration or multiple configurations that is desirable. Additionally, an outline of a foot may be printed on the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention to designate the appropriate area for foot placement on the foot protection barrier 10. The printed configurations may be printed on the upper surface 14, the lower surface 16, or both the upper surface 14 and the lower surface 16 of the sheet of material 12 of the foot protection barrier 10. Any conventional inks and printing techniques may be employed in application of printed configurations on the foot protection barrier 10.

Advertisements may also be printed on the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention. For example, a company may wish to advertise by placing their logo or slogan on the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention. The advertisements may be printed on the upper surface 14, the lower surface 16, or both the upper surface 14 and the lower surface 16 of the sheet of material 12 of the foot protection barrier 10.

Additionally, the sheet of material 12 of the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention may be any color that is desirable. For example, a package of multiple foot protection barriers of the present invention may include several different colors of foot protection barriers or may include a single color of foot protection barriers.

Further, the foot protection barrier 10 is disposable. That is, once a user has employed the foot protection barrier 10 for its desired use, the foot protection barrier may be thrown away. Also, the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention may be biodegradable.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a user's foot 22 is positioned on the foot protection barrier 10 while the user is standing on the rigid, planar surface 18. It should be understood that the foot protection barrier 10 may also be wrapped about the foot 22 of the user such that the user's entire foot 22 is encompassed within the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention for added protection.

Shown in FIGS. 5-7, the foot protection barrier 10 may be packaged and/or sold in various manners such as, for example, individually, as a pair 24 of foot protection barriers (FIG. 5), as a pad of multiple foot protection barriers 26 (FIG. 6), as a roll of multiple foot protection barriers 30 (FIG. 7) or in any other manner that is desirable. If the foot protection barrier 10 of the present invention is packaged and/or sold in pairs, the pair of foot protection barriers 10 may be connected or may be packaged loosely as individual units. That is, the pair of foot protection barriers 24 may be connected along one edge of each individual foot protection barrier 10 wherein each foot protection barrier 10 may be provided with a perforation 25 for ease of separation or when packaged as the pair 24 it may be desirable to provide a perforation 25 therebetween to enhance separation.

Shown in FIG. 6, multiple foot protection barriers may be packaged and/or sold as a pad of foot protection barriers 26. For example, the pad of foot protection barriers 26 may include adhesive along one edge for connecting individual foot protection barriers together along one edge for forming the pad 26. Additionally and/or alternatively, each foot protection barrier 10 of the pad of foot protection barriers 26 may be provided with a perforation 28 along one edge such that each foot protection barrier 10 may be separable from the pad of foot protection barriers 26 by tearing along the line of perforation 28.

The non-skid material 20 described above may also contain a release-coating (not shown) therein such that the non-skid material 20 will not adhere to an adhesive material such as the adhesive coating 15 described above such that if multiple foot protection barriers 10 of the present invention are stacked upon each other, the lower surface 16 of one foot protection barrier will not adhere to the upper surface 14 of a second foot protection barrier placed beneath it. Additionally, it is important that, with the addition of a release-coating to the non-skid material 20, the non-skid material 20 will maintain the desirable non-skid properties associated therewith.

Shown in FIG. 7, the foot protection barrier 10 may be packaged and/or sold as a roll of multiple foot protection barriers 30. In this embodiment, a line of perforation 32 may be provided between each foot protection barrier 10 wherein a user may simply separate each foot protection barrier 10 by tearing along the line of perforation 32. Additionally, the detachable layer 19 may be used to sufficiently cover the adhesive 15 to prevent exposure of the adhesive 15 until desired. Additionally, the detachable layer 19 will prevent multiple foot protection barriers from adhering together in the roll configuration.

Shown in FIGS. 8-10, the foot protection barrier 10 may be packaged and/or sold as a kit 34 wherein the pad of foot protection barriers 26 (FIG. 8) or roll of foot protection barriers 30 (FIG. 9), as described above, may be packaged in a container 36 such as, for example, a box, wherein a user may place his or her foot inside of the container 36 for removal of the desired foot protection barrier 10 by any method described herein. For example, a user may place his or her foot on the pad of foot protection barriers 26 inside the container 36 and separate a single foot protection barrier 10 from the pad of foot protection barriers 26 along the line of perforation 28 as described above. The container 36 includes at least one receiving space 38 sized and configured to receive a plurality of foot protection barriers such as the pad of foot protection barriers 26 or roll of foot protection barriers 30 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

Shown in FIG. 8, the pad of foot protection barriers 26 may include at least one connector 40, such as a brad, for forming the pad of the foot protection barriers 26. That is, the connector 40 is positioned through each of the individual foot protection barriers 10 of the pad 26 to maintain the individual foot protection barriers 10 inside the container 36 while maintaining the individual foot protection barriers 10 as a pad of foot protection barriers 26.

Shown in FIG. 9, a cutting element 42 may be positioned on a portion of the container 36 for separating an individual foot protection barrier 10 from the roll of foot protection barriers 30 disposed in the container 26. Cutting elements are known in the art. Examples of cutting elements include those used in conjunction containers having wax paper, aluminum foil, and the like contained therein. Additionally, the cutting element 42 may include a straight or serrated edge. As shown in FIG. 10, the container 36 includes a first receiving space 44 and a second receiving space 46 for placement of individual foot protection barriers 10 or multiple foot protection barriers, such as a stack of individual foot protection barriers 10 (as shown), a pad or a roll, in each receiving space.

The present invention further contemplates a method for temporarily protecting the user's foot 20 from contamination when the user's foot 22 is positioned on the support surface 18 as described hereinabove. The foot protection barrier 10 may be used to protect the user's foot 22 from non-sanitary surfaces such as, for example, a hospital floor. In use, the user is provided with the foot protection barrier 10 and positions his or her foot on the foot protection barrier 10 for travel across the support surface 18. The user may remove the foot protection barrier 10 from the foot 22 after traveling across the support surface 18 and subsequently disposes the foot protection barrier 10 in a container, such as a wastebasket or trash can.

While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, it should be understood that many modifications may be made to the present invention as described herein or in the steps or sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. 

1. A foot protection barrier for protecting at least a portion of a person's foot, the foot protection barrier comprising: a sheet of material having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a thickness of 1 mm or less; an effective amount of an adhesive disposed on at least a portion of the upper surface of the sheet of material such that the at least a portion of the upper surface of the sheet of material having the adhesive thereon adheres to the person's foot when the person's foot is positioned thereon; and an effective amount of a non-skid material disposed on at least a portion of the lower surface of the sheet of material for providing a non-skid surface to at least a portion of the lower surface thereof for preventing the person wearing the foot protection barrier from slipping as the person moves across a support surface.
 2. The foot protection barrier of claim 1 wherein the sheet of material is fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of a non-fibrous material, a natural material, a synthetic material, a laminate, a biodegradable material, a hypo-allergenic material, and combinations constructed thereof.
 3. The foot protection barrier of claim 1 wherein the adhesive is hypo-allergenic.
 4. The foot protection barrier of claim 1 further comprising a detachable layer disposed on the adhesive for sufficiently protecting the adhesive from exposure.
 5. A pad of foot protection barriers, comprising: a stack of a plurality of sheets of material, each sheet of material having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a thickness of about 1 mm or less; an effective amount of an adhesive disposed on at least a portion of the upper surface of the sheet of material such that the upper surface of the sheet of material adheres to the person's foot when the person's foot is positioned thereon; and an effective amount of a non-skid material disposed on at least a portion of the lower portion of each sheet of material for providing a non-skid surface on the lower surface for preventing the person wearing the foot protection barrier from slipping as the person moves across a support surface.
 6. The pad of foot protection barriers of claim 5 wherein each sheet of material is fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of a non-fibrous material, a natural material, a synthetic material, a laminate, a biodegradable material, a hypo-allergenic material, and combinations constructed thereof.
 7. The pad of foot protection barriers of claim 5 wherein the adhesive is hypo-allergenic.
 8. The pad of foot protection barriers of claim 5 wherein the adhesive applied to a portion of each foot protection barrier is provided with a detachable layer disposed on the adhesive for sufficiently protecting the adhesive from exposure.
 9. The pad of foot protection barriers of claim 5 wherein each of the foot protection barriers is perforated along an edge for disconnecting an individual foot protection barrier from the pad.
 10. A roll of foot protection barriers, comprising: a plurality of foot protection barriers, each foot protection barrier comprising: a sheet of material having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a thickness of about 1 mm or less; an effective amount of an adhesive disposed on at least a portion of the upper surface of the sheet of material such that the at least a portion of the upper surface of the sheet of material adheres to the person's foot when the person's foot is positioned thereon; and an effective amount of a non-skid material disposed on at least a portion of the lower portion of each sheet of material for providing a non-skid surface on the lower surface for preventing the person wearing the foot protection barrier from slipping as the person moves across a support surface.
 11. The roll of foot protection barriers of claim 10 wherein each sheet of material is fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of a non-fibrous material, a natural material, a synthetic material, a laminate, a biodegradable material, a hypo-allergenic material, and combinations constructed thereof.
 12. The roll of foot protection barriers of claim 10 wherein the adhesive disposed on at least a portion of the upper surface of the sheet of material of each foot protection barrier is hypo-allergenic.
 13. The roll of foot protection barriers of claim 10 wherein the adhesive applied to a portion of each foot protection barrier is provided with a detachable protection barrier disposed on the adhesive for sufficiently protecting the adhesive from exposure.
 14. The roll of foot protection barriers of claim 10 wherein each of the foot protection barriers is perforated along an edge for disconnecting an individual foot protection barrier from the roll.
 15. A method for temporarily protecting a foot from contamination when the foot is positioned on a non-sanitary support surface, the method comprising the steps of: providing a foot protection barrier comprising: a sheet of material having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a thickness of about 1 mm or less; an effective amount of an adhesive disposed on at least a portion of the upper surface of the sheet of material such that the upper surface of the sheet of material adheres to the person's foot when the person's foot is positioned thereon; and an effective amount of a non-skid material disposed on at least a portion of the lower surface of the sheet of material for providing a non-skid surface on the lower surface for preventing the person wearing the foot protection barrier from slipping while moving across the non-sanitary support surface; positioning the person's foot on the foot protection barrier for travel across the non-sanitary support surface; removing the foot protection barrier from the person's foot after traveling across the non-sanitary support surface; and disposing the foot protection barrier.
 16. A kit comprising: a container having at least one receiving space sized and configured to receive a plurality of foot protection barriers; and a plurality of foot protection barriers disposed within the receiving space of the container and selectively removable individually therefrom, each of the foot protection barriers comprising: a sheet of material having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a thickness of about 1 mm or less; an effective amount of an adhesive disposed on at least a portion of the upper surface of the sheet of material such that the at least a portion of the upper surface of the sheet of material adheres to the person's foot when the person's foot is positioned thereon; and an effective amount of a non-skid material disposed on at least a portion of the lower surface of the sheet of material for providing a non-skid surface to the lower surface for preventing the person wearing the foot protection barrier from slipping as the person moves across a support surface.
 17. The kit of claim 16 wherein the container is provided with two receiving spaces for receiving and storing a plurality of foot protection barriers.
 18. The kit of claim 16 wherein the plurality of foot protection barriers disposed in the receiving space are disposed therein as a pad of foot protection barriers.
 19. The kit of claim 18 wherein each of the foot protection barriers are perforated along an edge for disconnecting an individual foot protection barrier from the pad.
 20. The kit of claim 18 wherein the pad of foot protection barriers includes at least one header for forming the pad of foot protection barriers.
 21. The kit of claim 16 wherein the plurality of foot protection barriers disposed in the receiving space are disposed therein as a roll of foot protection barriers.
 22. The kit of claim 21 wherein a line of perforation is positioned between each of the foot protection barriers for disconnecting an individual foot protection barrier from the pad.
 23. The kit of claim 21 wherein a cutting element is positioned on a portion of the container for separating an individual foot protection barrier from the roll of foot protection barriers disposed in the container.
 24. A foot protection barrier for protecting at least a portion of a person's foot, the foot protection barrier comprising: a sheet of material having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a thickness, the sheet of material being substantially non-deformable along the thickness such that the sheet of material is non-conforming to the person's foot upon the foot being placed on the upper surface of the sheet of material when the lower surface of the sheet of material is positioned on a rigid, planar surface in a face to face relation; an effective amount of an adhesive disposed on at least a portion of the upper surface of the sheet of material such that the upper surface of the sheet of material adheres to the person's foot when the person's foot is positioned thereon; and an effective amount of a non-skid material disposed on at least a portion of the lower surface of the sheet of material for providing a non-skid surface to the lower surface for preventing the person wearing the foot protection barrier from slipping as the person moves across the support surface.
 25. The foot protection barrier of claim 25 wherein the thickness of the sheet of material is less than about 1 mm.
 26. The foot protection barrier of claim 24 wherein the sheet of material is square. 